Seattle man impersonated cop to rape, extort victims

A 26-year-old felon pleaded guilty today to 10 felonies and five misdemeanors, admitting he impersonated a police officer and extorted sex from a woman and two 15-year-old girls after responding to the victims’ online ads for prostitution and escort services.

Julian Tarver, who had previously served nearly five years in prison for a number of crimes, including first-degree arson, threats to bomb and attempted possession of child pornography, was under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections when he committed his sexually-motivated crimes in August 2010, according to court records.

Originally charged with four counts of first-degree kidnapping, Tarver — who forced the women and girls to each remain inside his North Seattle apartment for two to five hours — pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful imprisonment as part of his plea deal before King County Superior Court Judge Jim Rogers. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree extortion with sexual motivation; one count of attempted first-degree extortion with sexual motivation; third-degree rape of a child; and third-degree rape of a child with a one-year sentence enhancement because he offered one 15-year-old victim money in exchange for sex.

Tarver also pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts of first-degree criminal impersonation for pretending to be a law enforcement officer.

When he’s sentenced Feb. 3, Tarver faces a prison term of 12 1/2 to 14 1/2 years, though prosecutors will recommend he serve the top end of the range.

According to court documents, Tarver found each of his victims online and invited them to his apartment, where he would flash a badge, whip out handcuffs and “arrest” the victim.

He allowed two 19-year-old women to leave without having sex with them, though he made one of the women strip in front of him and stole $600 cash, her identification and a pawn slip. Three other victims — the two juveniles and a 23-year-old woman — were raped by Tarver, who at different times claimed to be a police officer, a U.S. Marshal and an agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

He paid one of the 15-year-olds $200 for sex, then took the money back, telling her the bills were marked, court documents say. He slammed the girl into a wall when she tried to leave, showed her a gun and a Taser, and forced her to have sex with him a second time, the documents say.

Tarver was arrested after employees with one victim’s escort agency contacted Seattle police when Tarver tried to arrange a date with another escort, charging papers say. The subsequent police investigation led detectives to the other victims; one of the juveniles was identified from photos found on Tarver’s computer, court records show.

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